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Tag: Measure A

  • Guest Opinion: What Citrus Heights voters should know about this new tax measure

    Guest Opinion: What Citrus Heights voters should know about this new tax measure

    By Sue Frost–
    In the general election this November, voters will have the opportunity to vote on “Measure A,” a transportation sales tax that would impact not just the unincorporated areas of County of Sacramento, but the seven cities as well.

    The measure is on the ballot due to a citizen signature gathering effort, and in order to pass, it needs at least 50% of residents to vote in support of it.  As the text of this measure is dozens of pages long, I wanted to use this opportunity to explain to you what this measure would actually do if it is passed in an easily understandable fashion.

    First, let’s go over the basics of what this measure would require of taxpayers.  This tax would last until 2063 (40 years), and would be a half-cent sales tax, raising around $212,500,000 annually.  This tax is in addition to the existing half-cent transportation sales tax adopted in 2004, which is set to expire in 2039.  The tax would not just be for Sacramento County residents, but for any person who happens to be in Sacramento County while buying something.

    Now let’s go over where the money will be spent:

    • 47.25% of the money will go to local street and road repair. This includes, among some other things, pavement maintenance, new/expanded streets, programs to promote walking/bicycling, and freeway interchanges.  For the first five years, no less than 90% of this chunk of the money must be spent on “Fix it First” street, road, and bridge preventative maintenance.
    • 25.11% of the money will go to Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) to be used for, among other things, light rail and bus vehicle replacement, operations and maintenance of existing services, and operations and maintenance for new services partially funded through this plan.
    • 22.43% of the money will go to construction of highway, transit, rail, increased bus and light rail service, and expressway expansion and widening projects.
    • 3.05% of the money will go to senior and disabled transportation services.
    • 2.16% of the money will go to the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District to provide for monitoring, planning, emission reduction, and future mobility programs.

    Finally, let’s go over specific projects in Citrus Heights where money will be spent:

    • Complete rehabilitation of Madison Avenue, between Watt and Sunrise.
    • Improvements to Madison Avenue between Watt Avenue and Greenback Lane.
    • Road capacity expansion of Madison Avenue between Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane.
    • Complete street improvements to parts of Auburn Boulevard, Antelope Road, Dewey, Fair Oaks Boulevard, Greenback, Oak Avenue, Old Auburn Road, Roseville Road, San Juan Avenue, Sunrise Boulevard, Sylvan Road, Wachtel Way, and Van Maren Lane.
    • Antelope Road/I-80 interchange improvements.
    • Auburn Blvd Phase II between Rusch Park and I-80.
    • Madison Avenue corridor between Fair Oaks Boulevard and San Juan Avenue.

    This is just a snapshot of the much larger picture, but I hope this has been helpful in helping you understand what you are voting on.  If you want to read the plan in its entirety, please feel free to e-mail my office and we can send it to you.

    Sue Frost, supervisor
    Sue Frost

    Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost formerly served as a Citrus Heights councilwoman and currently represents District 4, which includes Citrus Heights.  She can be contacted at (916) 874-5491, or SupervisorFrost@saccounty.net.

    Want to share your thoughts on this topic or another local issue? Submit a letter to the editor or opinion column for publication: Click here

  • Guest Opinion: Here’s what they’re not telling you about Measure B

    No on Measure B, Citrus Heights
    A large sign opposing Measure B, displayed at the corner of Sylvan and Stock Ranch roads. // CH Sentinel

    Note: In the interest of providing educational information to voters and encouraging community dialogue, the Citrus Heights Sentinel has given an equal opportunity to both “yes” and “no” campaigns to submit an opinion piece on Measure B. See the “No on Measure B” article below, or click here to read the “Yes on Measure B” op-ed.

    By Debra Desrosiers, Vice-Chair
    ‘Don’t Double The Tax – No on Measure B’
    By now you’ve probably received some very slick mailings from Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA) telling you about the fabulous improvements they have planned for your roads. Many of these mailers are being paid for by Measure A money. What is Measure A? Measure A is the half-cent sales tax you are already paying for roads. Since 2009, Measure A has collected over $669,000,000 of our money to pay for roads and transit services. Last year, Measure A collected over $109,000,000 from us. How are your roads looking? How is your bus service in Citrus Heights?

    Measure B has been carefully crafted by politicians to collect an additional half-cent sales tax from you for 30 YEARS to go towards roads and transit. The proponents have a catchy phrase to grab your attention, “Fix it First,” under which 75% of the funds would go to roads they have carefully selected; yours is probably not one of them. The 75% portion going to “Fix it First” can be changed or diverted to other projects. The Measure B ballot language provides that local governments can “authorize the reduction in the 75% Fix it First commitment to maintenance and rehabilitation for the purpose of directing a higher share of the jurisdiction’s allocation to specified high priority roadway or transit capital projects.” There’s no guarantee whatsoever that your roads are going to be fixed first, but it sounds good, doesn’t it? You can read the ballot language yourself at SacTA.org.

    Measure B mimics an oversight committee used in Measure A, the “Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee.” If you look at those slick mailers, you’ll see that STA and the Oversight Committee are promising to perform financial audits and performance audits, just like in Measure A. The problem is that the Oversight Committee for Measure A has never conducted a promised performance audit for the spending of our Measure A taxes.

    STA also claims that Measure B funds spent on big capital projects will always be matched up with state and federal matching funds. But STA made that same promise in Measure A and then failed to keep it. The result: a $43 million Measure A-funded Regional Transit “Train to Nowhere” which the federal government refused to help fund (for very sound reasons). In fact, STA admits that it doesn’t even monitor whether big capital projects draw the support of state or federal matching funds.

    You’ve heard people say “follow the money,” right? Let’s follow the money that is pushing for this new tax. You can look it up on the Sacramento County Registrar of Voter’s website, but we’ll save you the effort. The campaign behind Measure B is being funded by politicians, road engineering companies, construction companies, builders, developers, companies that issue environmental reports, bus manufacturers and light-rail car builders. You get the idea – the companies who stand to directly profit from raising your taxes. Those of us opposed to Measure B are a concerned group of ordinary citizens. Like you, we are concerned about the environment and relieving traffic congestion. We’re also concerned that our children will still be paying for this tax for 30 years. We’re concerned about how this regressive tax will affect poor people, senior citizens, the disabled, others on fixed incomes, as well as small businesses trying to keep their doors open. We are all the ones who have to pay.

    Measure A still has 23 years remaining to collect your money. That’s over 3 billion dollars local governments will have to spend on roads. Maybe politicians need to take a closer look at how those funds are being spent and use that money to “Fix it First.” Eye on Sacramento did an extensive report on the spending of Measure A funds; you can read the report at EyeOnSacramento.org. What was truly amazing is that the City of Citrus Heights has over $2,700,000 in unspent Measure A funds. Only 2.53% of the funds raised for Capital Projects for the entire County of Sacramento went to Citrus Heights, which brings up another issue: the “Professional Advisory Group” (PAG).

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    The Professional Advisory Group decides which Capital Projects receive Measure A funding. The PAG consists of public works officials from the County of Sacramento and each city in Sacramento County. They meet behind closed doors with no input from the public. They spend bond proceeds secured by your tax money, but you have no input on where it goes. Why is Citrus Heights getting such a small amount of the $371,000,000 in outstanding bond proceeds??

    Before you vote on Measure B, do some reading, or just trust us…. Vote No on Measure B.

    By Debra Desrosiers, Vice-Chair
    Don’t Double The Tax – No on Measure B
    Website: DontDoubleTheTax.org

    What do you think about Measure B? Join the discussion and submit a letter to the editor: click here.

    Note: the “Yes on Measure B” op-ed can be read here: “Guest Opinion: Citrus Heights needs Measure B to plan for the future”